Motor ship on the Volga Bulgaria. Motor ship "Bulgaria"

Motor ship project "Bulgaria". Reference

Owner of the ship: OJSC Kamskoe river shipping company»; Tenant: Breeze LLC; Subtenant: ArgoRechTour LLC

Main characteristics Year of issue: 1955 Number of decks: 2 Travel speed: 20.5 km/h Engine power: 273 kW Number of engines: 2 Class river register : "O" Passenger capacity: 233 Length: 80.2 m Width: 14 m Draft: 1.9 m According to travel agencies, passenger capacity after modernization- 140 people

The most memorable event in the history of the former motor ship "Ukraine" (now "Bulgaria") was her participation in the events at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986 . The diesel-electric ship "Ukraine" and 12 similar vessels were used as floating hotels for liquidators and sarcophagus builders above the emergency station. After the work was completed, some of the ships were scuttled at their moorings in the Dnieper, and the least contaminated ships were returned to service.

July, 12

15:00
The bodies of 82 dead were recovered. Against the general director of ArgoRechTour LLC Svetlana Inyakina and senior expert of the Kama branch of the Russian river register Yakova Ivashova a criminal case was initiated under Article 238 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Performance or provision of services that do not meet safety requirements.” According to this article, if the act entailed the death of two or more persons, the punishment may include up to 10 years in prison.

14:00
General Director OJSC "Kama River Shipping Company" (owner of the ship) Valery Kirchanov refutes rumors that the owner of the company Mikhail Antonov fled abroad. Kirchanov especially emphasizes: “ In this case, we bear not legal, but only moral responsibility for the death of passengers».

13:00
The official date and time for the rise of the sunken ship to the surface have been announced - July 16, 17:00.

12:00
The official number of those declared dead is 71 people. A civil memorial service began in the River Port of Kazan in memory of the victims of the tragedy. Two ships are being sought that passed by the sinking Bulgaria and did not provide any assistance to the victims - the captains of the ships will be held accountable.

10:30
Divers reported being ready to enter the music room of the sunken ship, where there were about 30 children at the time of the disaster. Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee for Perm region documents are being seized from the owner of "Bulgaria" - OJSC "Kama River Shipping Company"

08:30
The bodies of the Bulgaria captain Alexander Ostrovsky and his wife have been identified.

07:30
The Information Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation announced the completion of the development of the project to lift the Bulgaria to the surface. The representative of the department especially noted that the development of the project was carried out by the St. Petersburg Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation - they also developed the project for raising the Kursk submarine.

According to the RIA-Novosti agency, the total number of victims is 54 people.

During a meeting with the heads of relevant ministries and departments, President Dmitry Medvedev demanded « conduct a comprehensive examination of all Vehicle who are engaged in the transportation of passengers.” Officials and supervisory authorities will also be required to ensure that shipowners carry out major repairs on time or take the transport out of service.

In Russia, in addition to the "Bulgaria", until recently there are 4 more vessels of project 785 in operation. These are the motor ship "Kompozitor Glazunov" (it was already detained in Saratov "for inspection"), the motor ship "Peter Alabin" (in this moment is on the voyage “Samara-Cheboksary-Samara”) and the motor ship “M. Yu. Lermontov" (uses Passazhirrechtrans OJSC for transportation on the Krasnoyarsk-Dudinka route) and Rimsky-Korsakov (until recently it operated regular routes along the Irtysh and Ob).

RIA Novosti: “Currently, the bodies of 49 dead have been recovered from the sunken ship. Thus, the total number of victims of the tragedy at the moment is 50 people,” the agency’s interlocutor said, adding that the body of one victim was found on the surface of the water.

To date, 40 bodies have been recovered from the crash site of the motor ship "Bulgaria", the head of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, Sergei Shoigu, announced this at a conference call. Among the dead recovered were 26 women, 10 men and 4 children. 89 divers and 5 doctors were involved in search and rescue operations. So far, specialists have examined only 30 percent of the vessel.

"Evening Kazan" identified the captain of "Bulgaria". It turned out to be 55-year-old Alexander OSTROVSKY, who worked as a captain at the Kazan river port for more than 20 years: “In the river port he is characterized as a professional high level. In 2000, Ostrovsky resigned from the river port and went to work for private companies - he began to transport tourists around tourist routes. River port workers rule out the possibility of a crash due to the captain’s fault.”

The captain’s name does not appear in the list of rescued people (updated by the Ministry of Emergency Situations at 17:30).

The last time “Bulgaria” was seriously repaired was in 2007, and it was operated on the basis of a certificate of fitness for navigation issued by the Kama branch of the river register in Perm, reports the Vechernyaya Kazan newspaper. The ship was scheduled to undergo another major overhaul upon completion of the 2011 navigation.

The tour cruise on the Volga, as a result of which the ship "Bulgaria" sank, was carried out illegally. The carrier did not have a license to transport passengers, a representative of the Volga Transport Prosecutor's Office said today during a meeting of the emergency response headquarters. According to him, it has been established that the ship “Bulgaria” is assigned to the Kama River Shipping Company in Perm. The motor ship was leased to Breeze LLC, and it, in turn, subleased the ship to a certain citizen ( we are apparently talking about the owner of AgroRechTour LLC, Svetlana Imyakina - Yu.Ch.). On May 25, AgroRechTour submitted a document to obtain a license for the right to transport passengers by inland water transport, but did not manage to receive it.

During a meeting of the operational headquarters, the head of the information department of the federal fire service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, said that according to the latest updated data, there could be 208 people on board. Soon after the disaster, a much smaller number was named - 175 people: this is how many passengers and crew members could be on the ship, based on the vouchers purchased and the standard carrying capacity. Later it turned out that in Bolgar they took on board people who needed to get to Kazan.

According to the latest information so far (as of 11 a.m.), 79 people were rescued: 50 tourists, 23 crew members, 6 people not registered for the flight. Noteworthy is the fact that the majority of the 33 crew members were saved. The confirmed death toll is 13.

According to Rustam Minnikhanov, 28 divers are working at the scene of the tragedy, and their number will increase in the near future. Conditions for rest and accommodation of divers will be provided on board the motor ship Arabella, whose arrival at the scene of the tragedy was expected at 13:00. This is the same ship whose crew discovered the distressed Bulgaria yesterday, lifted it out of the water and delivered the absolute majority of its surviving passengers to Kazan.

The RF Ministry of Emergency Situations plans to organize work to raise the sunken motor ship "Bulgaria" from the bottom of the Volga within a few hours, head of the RF Ministry of Emergency Situations Sergei Shoigu said during a conference call. Until 15:00, work will be organized to plan the recovery from the bottom of the sunken motor ship "Bulgaria". Two special cranes should arrive from Volgograd to the site of the ship's sinking.

Investigators discovered that the Bulgaria was out of order.

The Volga Region Investigation Department for Transport of the Investigative Committee of Russia established that even when leaving Kazan, the ship had a malfunction of the main left engine, but despite this, the ship went on a two-day voyage. It was also established that when leaving on July 10 at 11:15 a.m. from Bolgar in the direction of Kazan, the ship had a right list, which could be a consequence of unemptied sewer tanks, the presence of fuel only in the right tank, etc.

No storm warning was announced on July 10 (wind speed was expected to reach 18 m/s). However, during interrogations, crew members stated that “at the time of the maneuver and capsizing of the ship, the weather conditions sharply worsened and a squally wind blew.” The open lower portholes could also contribute to the flooding of water into the hold.

Interrogations of the rescued passengers and crew members were carried out regarding the circumstances of the incident, documentation was seized from the operator (sublessee) of the vessel - ArgoRechTur LLC, as well as from the owner of the vessel - OJSC Shipping Company "Kama River Shipping Company" and the lessee of the vessel - LLC Breeze. The investigation of the scene of the incident continues. The work of divers is complicated by strong currents and poor weather conditions and leakage of fuel from the ship's hull.

As of 11 a.m. on July 11, 12 people died as a result of the accident on the Bulgaria ship, including three men, one girl and the rest women. 80 people were saved.

Eight passengers from the sunken ship continue to be treated in hospitals in Tatarstan. The oldest patient is 61 years old, the youngest is 25 years old. At these moments, a council of doctors begins work in the trauma department of the Russian Clinical Hospital, monitoring the condition of the six rescued from the Bulgaria.

Five more victims were released home after examination at night. Trying to get out of the sinking ship, people received bruises and cut wounds. However, their psychological injuries are more serious than physical ones, doctors say.

All those hospitalized at the Republican Clinical Hospital are residents of Tatarstan, but 61-year-old passenger from Volgograd Nina Chesnokova is now being treated at Emergency Hospital No. 1. According to the Republic's Ministry of Health, her condition is satisfactory.

One corpse was identified at the Republican Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Tajikistan. This is Ziyatdinova G.R., born in 1985. It is expected that in the near future 6 more corpses will be delivered to the bureau and identification will be made.

The morgue of the Republican Bureau of Forensic Medicine in Kazan is about to begin receiving the bodies of the first victims from the sunken Bulgaria.

The Privolzhsky Transport Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation has opened a criminal case on the fact of the accident, a criminal case has been opened under Part 2 of Art. 263 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (violation of traffic safety rules and operation of railway, air and sea transport).

The list of those killed on the ship "Bulgaria" has increased to 9 people.

“They recovered the bodies of two men, one child, five women, plus one woman discovered yesterday. There are nine people in total,” said Marat Rakhmatullin, head of the information department of the federal fire service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Tatarstan.

Three women and three children and one more crew member were added to the list of unregistered passengers, whose relatives called the phone hotline.

8.00

According to the operational headquarters of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation for the Republic of Tatarstan and according to the latest data received on the hotline from relatives of those passengers who were on the ship at the time of the accident, there were initially 199 people on the ship, of which 148 were passengers traveling on the ship on vouchers .

50 passengers were rescued, 23 people were rescued out of 33 crew members, and 6 people were rescued out of 18 unregistered passengers.

As of 8 a.m. on July 11, the death toll had increased to 8 people. At the same time, three women and three children and another crew member were added to the lists of unregistered passengers, whose relatives called the hotline.

At 7 o’clock in the morning, divers from “Tsentrospas” and the “Leader” Center in the disaster zone brought the corpse of another woman to the surface. In total, 6 people are currently among the dead. Let us remind you that 80 people were rescued and 101 people are considered missing.

6.00

At 6:00 a.m., the lists of those rescued were replenished with citizens who were on board at the time of the shipwreck, but were not registered.

5.00

At 5.20 a.m., a boat with divers "Tsentrospas" and "Leader" sailed from the shore to the disaster area to retrieve the bodies of the victims from the sunken ship "Bulgaria" to the surface.

At 5.55 a plane from Krasnodar arrived at Kazan airport with 12 divers and two underwater video surveillance systems. The assistance of 9 rescuers from Ufa and a mobile diving complex with a pressure chamber are also expected.

4.00

At 4 a.m. on July 11, the bodies of four more drowned people were found, including one child/

Five people are considered dead during the crash of the motor ship "Bulgaria". Throughout the night and morning of July 11, 307 people and 73 pieces of equipment were working at the emergency site, including 234 personnel of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Tajikistan and 37 pieces of equipment. In 4 hours, 80 people were saved, of which one was injured in the hospital, two reached Kazan on a meteor and the rest on the Arabella ship, three died and 103 were missing.

A plane arrived from Moscow with rescuers “Tsentrospas” - 17 people and “Leader” - 16 people.

21.00

The motor ship "Arabella" arrived at the river port of Kazan with those rescued on board. Psychologists from the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Tatarstan are working with relatives and rescued people at the river port.

16.58

Vesti reports that 169 people were saved. The news is still posted on the website:
Link: www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=504460

A rescue operation is underway in the waters of the Kuibyshev Reservoir.

As of 4:00 p.m., 85 people out of 188 on board were rescued from the ship, including 150 passengers and 38 personnel. They are transported to Kazan on a 3-deck ship "Arabella", on a meteor. The motor ship OM-249 also left Kazan. One victim was taken to district hospital Bulgar, one woman drowned.

14.00

The Central Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Republic of Tatarstan received a message from the traffic controller of the Kazan waterway from the captain of a passing ship that near the village of Syukeevo, Kamsko-Ustinsky municipal district The pleasure boat "Bulgaria" suffered a disaster and sank, with, according to preliminary data, 22 people on board. The motor ship "Bulgaria" was en route from the city of Bolgar to Kazan.

13.30

The moment of disaster. The ship tilted to starboard, took on water and sank in 3 minutes. Many passengers were unable to get out of their cabins. Almost all the children were gathered for a children's party in the aft cabin.

According to the newspaper “Evening Kazan”: “According to eyewitnesses, the cause of the shipwreck was a strong storm, as a result of which the ship tilted and went under water literally in 3 minutes. Before the disaster there was heavy rain, but big waves did not have ".

The LifeNews video, which reconstructs the events of the disaster, incorrectly shows that “Bulgaria” did not reach Bolgar. In fact, the ship sank on the way back from Bolgar to Kazan.

"Bulgaria" departed on the return flight from Bolgar to Kazan.

Message on the website of the tour operator company selling vouchers for the voyage of the motor ship "Bulgar":

“LLC “IntourVolga” regrets to announce that flights on the mv “Bulgaria” during the 2011 navigation season will not take place due to the ship’s accident.”

Currently, the message has been deleted from the site, but the cache of the Google Internet search engine has saved it in memory: (see illustration)

According to the schedule, it is at this time that the motor ship "Bulgaria" went from Kazan to Bolgar.

16.00

At 16.15 at the Central Control Center of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Republic of Tatarstan from the Department of Hydrometeorology and Monitoring environment a storm warning was received about a dangerous meteorological phenomenon with the following content: “In the next hour, continuing on the evening of July 9, at night of July 10, 2011, thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, squally winds of 22 - 27 m/s, and large hail are expected in places in the Republic of Tatarstan and in Kazan. Due to worsening weather conditions, please refrain from traveling."

The main news on the Vechernyaya Kazan website: “The motor ship from Perm yesterday circled around the river port for about 40 minutes and did not dock. This delay was not explained to passengers in any way.”

“They didn’t explain anything to us,” says one of those who was on the ship, Galina. - All the people were tired from the road, it was stuffy and they wanted to get home quickly. They said something was broken. But there was no announcement."

The Kazan River Port information desk refused to comment on the situation.”

“The old galosh, pompously called “Bulgaria”, according to all the rules, should not be allowed for passenger transportation at all. On July 3, he was returning from a cruise flight on the route Kazan - Perm - Kazan. During the flight the engine stalled three times. The last time was a hundred meters before the quay wall of the Kazan port. When the engine was turned off, the power supply system was de-energized. So, even the radio communication did not work (the question is, where are the emergency batteries?!).

Heading into this ill-fated flight was delayed for a week until they collected money for the vouchers in order to patch up technical flaws with them.

As a result, there was not enough money to feed tourists. There wasn't even enough bread. While the ship was standing in the lock of the hydroelectric power station (Tchaikovsky), the crew’s sailors were running for bread. On board as drinking water passengers drank outboard Volga (Kama) beer.

The speed of movement of this old galosh turned out to be such that every time she was several hours late in arriving at the port. Because of this, excursions were reduced or even cancelled. But the owners of this vessel, not wanting to lose their profits, have already sold tickets for the next voyage. In order to return to the port of Kazan on time, the planned and promised excursions to passengers in Tchaikovsky, Sarapul, and green parking were cancelled. Despite the fact that the passengers on this flight were disabled people and pensioners - people who had been saving money for this trip all year. They asked the captain (who, by the way, never came out to the public during the entire voyage) not to deprive them of the promised excursions. But he was adamant and carried out the will of the huckster-hostess, making up for being late.

100 meters before the pier the engine stalled again. So we had to supply power from the tug to raise the anchor. And with two tugboats put Bulgaria against the quay wall. You cannot offend innocent people and profit at their expense, receiving money for services not provided and very unobtrusive “service”!”

The motor ship was inspected on June 15, 2011 and was found technically fit, according to the Ministry of Transport.

According to some data, in 2003-2009. the ship was not in use at all. According to others, after re-equipment in 2007, the diesel-electric ship began operating tourist flights from Kazan.

Based on materials from the newspaper “Evening Kazan”, TV channel Vesti.Ru, websites of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, news agencies, messages on Twitter and Livejournal, we prepared:

Yulia Chernenko

On July 10, 2011, the double-deck motor ship "Bulgaria" sank in the Kuibyshev reservoir near the village of Syukeevo, Kamsko-Ustinsky district of Tatarstan. The disaster occurred 2560 meters from the coast. There were 201 people on board the ship, which was performing a tourist flight Kazan - Bolgar - Kazan. In a storm, the ship tilted to the right and sank to the bottom in a few minutes. 122 people died, including 28 children. Among the dead is the captain of "Bulgaria" Alexander Ostrovsky. 79 people survived. Most of them were saved by the cruise ship Arabella. Two vessels - the dry cargo ship "Arbat" and the pusher tug "Dunaysky 66", passing by, did not provide assistance to the passengers and crew of the sinking "Bulgaria".

The motor ship (diesel-electric ship) "Bulgaria" was built in 1955 at the shipyard in Komárno (Czechoslovakia) according to project 785 and was last overhauled in 1980. The owner of the vessel, the Kama River Shipping Company (Perm), leased the ship to Breeze LLC, which, in turn, subleased it to the Kazan travel company Argorechtur LLC. As it turned out later, the company did not have licenses for tourism activities or for the use of ships.

On July 10, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a criminal case into the sinking of the ship under Part 2 of Art. 263 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

On July 14, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin instructed Rostekhnadzor and Rostransnadzor to conduct a thorough investigation of the Bulgaria disaster. On August 15, the results of the inspection were made public, according to which the wreck of the ship was due to a combination of violations - in particular, failure by the shipowner and captain to comply with safety requirements, and low qualifications of crew members. The immediate cause was the entry of water through open portholes during storm conditions.

Eliminating the consequences of the disaster cost the state about 500 million rubles, including expenses for the work of divers, rescuers and raising the ship.

In connection with the death of "Bulgaria", criminal cases were opened against five people.

On July 12, 2011, a case was initiated against the general director of Argorechtur LLC, Svetlana Inyakina, and the senior expert of the Kama branch of the Russian River Register, Yakov Ivashov. Inyakina is accused of violating labor safety rules (part 2 of article 143), providing services that do not meet safety requirements (part 3 of article 238), violating operating rules water transport(Part 3 of Article 263), resulting in the death due to negligence of two or more persons. Ivashov, who issued permission to operate the ship in 2011, is charged with abuse of power (Part 3 of Article 285) and unlawful issuance of documents (Part 3 of Article 238).

On August 15, a criminal case was opened against the former chief state inspector of the Kazan linear department of the Volga department of Rostransnadzor, Vladislav Semenov, and the head of the Kazan department of Rostransnadzor, Irek Timergazeev. They issued a positive conclusion on the readiness of Argorechtur LLC to transport passengers. They were charged under the article “Abuse of official powers” ​​(Part 3 of Article 285).

The senior mate of the "Bulgaria" captain, Ramil Khametov, who survived the disaster, is accused of violating the ship's safety rules, resulting in major damage and death due to negligence of two or more persons (Part 3 of Article 263). Khametov, who was responsible for the serviceability of communications equipment, did not report problems on the ship before leaving for the voyage. At the time of the crash, the power supply was cut off on the Bulgaria, and the captain was unable to inform other ships about the emergency.

Inyakina, Ivashov, Timergazeev and Semenov are in custody. In relation to Khametov, the court chose a preventive measure in the form of a recognizance not to leave. Also brought to justice were the captains of the dry cargo ship "Arbat" Yuri Tuchin and the tugboat "Dunaysky 66" Alexander Egorov, who did not provide assistance to the passengers of the "Bulgaria" in distress. A criminal case against them was initiated on July 18, 2011 under Art. 270 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. On December 26, 2011, Tuchin, by decision of the Kamsko-Ustinsky District Court of Tatarstan, was sentenced to a fine of 130 thousand rubles. On February 28, 2012, the Moscow District Court of Kazan sentenced Egorov to a fine of 190 thousand rubles.

The investigation into the five accused lasted almost two years.

On May 6, 2013, the Moskovsky District Court of Kazan began considering the case. On May 28, after the indictment was announced, four defendants - Svetlana Inyakina, Ramil Khametov, Yakov Ivashov and Irek Timergazeev - did not admit guilt. Vladislav Semenov partially admitted his guilt.

The case of the shipwreck was heard for more than a year, and court hearings were repeatedly postponed. The volume of the criminal case amounted to 96 volumes. About 200 victims and more than 100 witnesses were questioned. More than 250 different examinations were carried out, including a comprehensive navigational engineering and technical forensic examination, which was carried out from August 2011 to March 2012 at the Volga State Academy of Water Transport.

On March 6, 2014, the trial was postponed for a second navigational and engineering examination. Employees of the St. Petersburg State University of Maritime and River Fleet named after Admiral Makarov were entrusted with carrying it out.

On April 15, the results of the re-examination were announced in the Moscow District Court of Kazan. According to its conclusions, a combination of facts led to the accident: the vessel’s unreadiness for sailing both in terms of its technical condition and the level of training of the crew, non-compliance with the requirements and safety rules of navigation by the crew, the shipowner and the regulatory authorities to prepare the ship for sailing. Experts from the Makarov University also agreed with the conclusions of Rostransnadzor that the Bulgaria was unsuitable for navigation in 2011.

On April 25, during the debate between the parties, the prosecutor demanded that the accused receive real sentences in the form of imprisonment from 6 to 14.5 years. Most long term According to the state prosecution, Svetlana Inyakina deserves it.

On June 24, the victims in the case of the crash of the Bulgaria filed civil claims for compensation for moral damage in the amount of 201.6 million rubles. The amount of claims for compensation for material damage is more than 236 thousand rubles.

On July 3, the Moscow Court of Kazan began announcing the verdict in the case of the crash of the motor ship "Bulgaria".

date Time

≈13 hours 30 minutes

Dead

122 people

Victims

79 were rescued, of which 9 people were hospitalized due to cuts and bruises, 5 were sent for outpatient treatment after first aid.

Wreck of the motor ship "Bulgaria"- a shipwreck that occurred on July 10, 2011 at approximately 13:30 Moscow time in the Kuibyshev reservoir near the village of Syukeevo, Kamsko-Ustinsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan.

general information

Motor ship "Bulgaria"

Double-decker motor ship " Bulgaria"Project 785 (built in Czechoslovakia in 1955), cruising along the route Kazan - Bolgar - Kazan, sank in the Volga near the village of Syukeevo, Kamsko-Ustinsky district of Tatarstan.

Two vessels - the dry cargo ship "Arbat" and the pusher "Dunaysky 66" passed by rafts with passengers and crew of the motor ship "Bulgaria". The first ship to come to the aid of those in distress was the cruise ship Arabella, whose crew carried out the rescue operation. On board the ship "Arabella" the survivors received first aid. health care, food, hot drinks and dry clothes are provided. Several seriously injured were sent to Kazan on the Meteor.

For several days since the tragedy, the operation continued to raise the motor ship "Bulgaria" from the bottom of the Kuibyshev Reservoir and to search for the bodies of the victims. Significant forces of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Russian Ministry of Transport, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Health and Social Development and commercial structures were pulled into the crash area. As a result, the motor ship "Bulgaria" was lifted and transported to the nearest ship repair plant in the Kuibyshevsky backwater. At the same time, all the bodies of the dead were discovered.

According to final data, of the 201 people on board, 79 were saved. The death of the remaining 122 people was confirmed. Among the dead was the captain of the motor ship "Bulgaria" Alexander Ostrovsky.

Investigative Committee Russian Federation In connection with the wreck of the motor ship "Bulgaria", several criminal cases were initiated, and a number of officials were brought to criminal liability:

All defendants in the mentioned criminal cases, with the exception of two captains who did not provide assistance to those in distress and the senior mate of the captain of the motor ship "Bulgaria" Ramil Khametov, were placed in custody.

Several departments presented to the public their conclusions based on the results of inspections regarding the crash of the motor ship "Bulgaria" (see section)

The wreck of the motor ship "Bulgaria" had a great public resonance in Russia and the rest of the world, which in turn became the reason for the start of mass inspections in the river fleet industry, in the bodies of the River Register and Rostransnadzor.

Chronology of events

Memory

For several days after the sinking of the motor ship "Bulgaria", many residents of Kazan came to the Kazan river port, where a spontaneous people's memorial was built, consisting of thousands of soft toys, flowers and burning candles.

On July 10, 2012, on the banks of the Volga near the village of Syukeevo, Kamsko-Ustinsky district, opposite the place where the motor ship Bulgaria sank, a memorial was opened in memory of the victims of this tragedy. The complex includes a wall of remembrance and a central square, as well as a chapel and a mosque. The memory wall is made of monolithic concrete, lined with granite. It depicts the sunken motor ship "Bulgaria" and the names of 122 victims are embossed in gold letters.

A buoy has been installed at the crash site. Ships passing by must sound a long sound signal (horn), thereby paying tribute to the memory of those who died on the ship.

The parents of five-year-old Kirill Chernov, who died in the crash of the motor ship "Bulgaria", announced that they would build a children's playground near the village of Krasnogorsky in the Mari-El Republic using compensation funds.

Results of the investigation

Rostransnadzor

From the operative part of the audit conclusion:

The commission concluded that the causes of the accident were a combination of the following factors:

1. Failure by the shipowner and captain of the vessel to comply with the requirements of regulatory documents regulating the safety of navigation during the planning, preparation and implementation of a voyage, during which the safe navigation of the vessel was not ensured. Thus, the shipowner and captain of the vessel deliberately violated the restrictions of the Russian River Register for vessels of this project, prohibiting their operation:

2. Low qualifications and lack of discipline of the ship’s crew members, expressed in:

• failure to take the necessary safety measures when the vessel enters the reservoir and upon receiving a storm warning. The ship's port and starboard portholes were not closed, including in the engine room, where only crew members were on watch;
• in the unauthorized shutdown of the starboard main diesel generator by the senior engineer, without receiving a command from the bridge;
• in the failure of ship machinery due to non-compliance with the Technical Operation Rules;
• in non-compliance with generally accepted techniques and methods of vessel control. The left turn maneuver was carried out without taking into account: the stability features of the vessel, the already existing list of 4° to starboard; an additional roll to starboard caused by centrifugal force during circulation to the left; a strong wind blowing on the left side and a large sail of the ship;
• in violation by the captain of the vessel of the requirements of paragraphs 15 and 16 of the Procedure for dispatch control of vessel traffic on inland waterways of the Russian Federation, approved by Order of the Ministry of Transport of Russia dated March 1, 2010 No. 47 “On approval of the procedure for dispatch control of vessel traffic on inland waterways of the Russian Federation” (captain did not inform the dispatcher and did not receive dispatch permission for the vessel to move).

Official representative of the RF IC Vladimir Markin:

The Investigative Committee officially declares that it will be possible to finally establish the cause of the sinking of the vessel only based on the results of a judicial commission of navigation and engineering and technical examination, which currently held. Taking into account the conclusion of the expert commission, appropriate procedural decisions will be made.

Regarding information about holes on the hull of the ship, Vladimir Markin explained:

Information disseminated in the media with reference to the results of the survey of the ship carried out by the Middle Volga branch of the Russian River Register that the crash of the "Bulgaria" occurred due to holes is not true. The investigation believes that the reference to anonymous experts is deliberately used to influence public opinion in order to exempt from criminal liability officials against whom a criminal case has already been initiated, as well as other persons who may soon be brought to criminal liability .

Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation

A preliminary version of the cause of the crash of the motor ship "Bulgaria" is open portholes.

Public Chamber of the Russian Federation

On November 21, 2011, the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation presented the conclusion of a public investigation, from which it follows that the crew were not accepted necessary measures to prepare the vessel for departure, in accordance with the announced meteorological forecast for the Kuibyshev reservoir, in particular, the crew of the "Bulgaria" did not ensure the stability of the vessel, did not batten down the windows, including emergency ones, did not repair the breakdown of the left main engine, and also did not connect communication means to emergency power sources, the ship was controlled without taking into account its real load, the report says. The presence of an initial list of the vessel to starboard, the appearance of an additional list when the vessel turned to the left, as well as a gust of heavy wind and waves (on the reservoir) led to an intensive flow of water into the hull through the open portholes and, as a consequence, to loss of stability and flooding of the vessel.

Opinions about the disaster

A terrible tragedy occurred on the Volga. My condolences to the families and friends of those killed

and at the meetings he gave instructions:

All search efforts must be completed, despite the fact that there is practically no hope of finding anyone alive. This must be done for understandable moral and ethical reasons and in order to find out all the circumstances of his death

The number of old vessels that float with us is prohibitive! If it happened before, this does not mean that it could not happen. This happened, and with the most terrible consequences. It is necessary to assess this situation and force either to carry out the necessary overhaul of all those who own ships, or to take them out of service if they are not suitable in terms of their quality for carrying out this type of transportation.

It is not the “switchmen” who swiped the papers who must answer for this crime, but everyone who organizes this process... So that next time any official, regardless of rank, understands that responsibility for the departure of such a vessel to sea can be not only disciplinary, but also criminal. This criminal liability must be translated into very tangible penalties.

It is necessary to figure out what happened, expose and punish those responsible. This should be done in relation to a wide range of people, including the organizers of this mess, and not just the “switchmen”, the vice-chairmen and other random people who fell into this orbit.

If the technology is outdated, is it possible to use this technology at the risk of human life? only in order to get money? It is no coincidence that all these catastrophes are accompanied, on the one hand, by examples of courage and selfless feat, and on the other - by examples of cowardice and recklessness... If the dominant feature of our lives continues to be the desire to earn as much as possible by any means necessary, then we are in for more O greater disasters.

What happened on July 10 with Bulgaria, without any exaggeration, shocked the whole country. So many victims, so many children died! It’s terrible that we have to pay such a tribute for irresponsibility, for carelessness, for greed, for a gross violation of technological safety rules...

...In general, how could it happen that a company without a license for tourism activities, without a license to use ships, could operate? How were tickets sold at the port? Who allowed? How were you released from the port? How did the port enter into an agreement with this company, which does not have a single license for services at the port? How could this happen? Where were Rostekhnadzor, Rostransnadzor? Where were all these departments?

Valery Neznakin, CEO OJSC "Shipping Company "Kama River Shipping Company", the day after the crash of the motor ship "Bulgaria":

In this case, we bear not legal, but only moral responsibility for the death of passengers.

Svetlana Inyakina, director of ArgoRechTour LLC, told the press before her arrest (text as edited by the source):

Everything was fine with the ship. According to the register documents, everything was in order, the ship was in technically acceptable condition. It's simple assault warning and strong wind. We got caught in a storm and the hold was flooded.

The main participants in the events associated with the wreck of the motor ship "Bulgaria"

• Inyakina Svetlana Georgievna- General Director and sole participant of the Limited Liability Company "Argorechtur", which was the sublessee and operator of the motor ship "Bulgaria" during the 2011 season. Accused of providing services that do not meet the requirements for the safety of life and health of consumers (Article 238 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), violating safety rules for the operation of inland water transport (Article 263 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), violating labor protection rules (Article 143 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and A preventive measure was chosen against her in the form of detention.
• Ivashov Yakov- senior expert of the Kama branch of the Russian River Register, who issued Argorechtur LLC a positive conclusion for the operation of the motor ship "Bulgaria" in 2011. He is accused of unlawfully issuing official documents certifying the compliance of the services provided by Inyakina with the requirements for the safety of life and health of consumers (Article 238 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), abuse of official powers for mercenary and other personal interest (Article 285 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and a preventive measure was chosen against him in form of detention.
• Timergazeev Irek- Head of the Kazan department of Rostransnadzor. According to the investigation, Timirgazeev Irek, together with Semenov Vladislav, gave a positive conclusion about the readiness of Argorechtur LLC to transport passengers, while there were no grounds for this. He is accused of abuse of official powers out of other personal interests (Article 285 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and a preventive measure in the form of detention was chosen against him.
• Semenov Vladislav- Chief State Inspector of the Kazan Department of Rostransnadzor. According to the investigation, Vladislav Semenov, together with Irek Timirgazeev, gave a positive conclusion about the readiness of Argorechtur LLC to transport passengers, while there were no grounds for this. He is accused of abuse of power out of other personal interest (Article 285 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and a preventive measure was chosen against him in the form of detention.
• Tuchin Yuri Vladislavovich- captain of the dry cargo ship "Arbat", convicted by the Kamsko-Ustinsky District Court of the Republic of Tatarstan under Article 270 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation in connection with failure to provide assistance to survivors of the wreck of the motor ship "Bulgaria". Sentenced to a fine of 130 thousand rubles. During the period of the preliminary investigation and trial, he was at large due to the choice of a preventive measure not related to detention against him.
• Egorov Alexander Pavlovich- captain of the pusher "Dunaysky 66", convicted by the Moscow District Court of the city of Kazan under Article 270 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation in connection with failure to provide assistance to survivors of the wreck of the motor ship "Bulgaria". Sentenced to a fine of 190 thousand rubles. During the period of the preliminary investigation and trial, he was at large due to the choice of a preventive measure not related to detention against him.
• Safin Rashid- Director of the Kazan River Port, dismissed from this position on July 15, 2011 “for allowing the release of the motor ship “Bulgaria” on a cruise.” He challenged his dismissal in court, but the courts of the first and second instance considered the dismissal legal and justified.
• Ostrovsky Alexander- captain of the motor ship "Bulgaria", died in the wreck of the motor ship "Bulgaria". During search operations at the crash site, the body of Captain Ostrovsky was discovered on the captain's bridge. The criminal case was discontinued due to the death of the accused
• Ramil Khametov- survivor of the disaster, senior mate of the ship "Bulgaria". During the investigation of the criminal case, he was accused of violating traffic safety rules and operating inland water transport (Article 263 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). He was not placed in custody due to the choice of a preventive measure against him in the form of a written undertaking not to leave the place and proper behavior.
• Khramov Alexander Grigorievich- Head of the Volga Department of the State Marine and River Supervision Authority ( Nizhny Novgorod), who committed suicide on August 22, 2011 due to dismissal from his position. Alexander Khramov was a witness in the case of the wreck of the motor ship "Bulgaria" (the same witness as Irek Timergazeev and Vladislav Semenov were before August 15, 2011).
• Lizalin Roman Evgenievich- captain of the motor ship "Arabella", who together organized the rescue of the surviving passengers and crew members of the motor ship "Bulgaria". Subsequently he was awarded state and departmental awards.
• Chernyshov Sergey Mikhailovich- Major General of Justice, senior investigator for particularly important cases under the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, head of the investigative group created to investigate the criminal case initiated on the fact of the crash of the motor ship "Bulgaria" on July 10, 2011.
• Antonov Mikhail- largest shareholder of JSC "Shipping Company" Kama River Shipping Company "", tycoon. The Kama River Shipping Company denied rumors about Antonov’s flight abroad.
• Neznakin Valery- General Director of JSC Shipping Company Kama River Shipping Company - owner of the motor ship Bulgaria.
• OJSC Shipping Company "Kama River Shipping Company" (Perm)- the owner of the motor ship "Bulgaria", who did not bear responsibility, despite the current legislation, according to which the legal owner of the property bears responsibility for damage caused by the operation of the property.
• Breeze LLC (Perm)- a company that is a lessee of the motor ship “Bulgaria”, which subleased this motor ship to Argorechtur LLC.
• Argorechtur LLC (Kazan) - tour operator, created by Svetlana Inyakina at the end of 2010. As of July 10, 2011, this legal entity was the current sublessee of the motor ship "Bulgaria", fully responsible for manning the crew, ongoing repairs and maintaining the ship in proper technical condition.

Notes

1. The Privolzhsky Investigation Department for Transport of the Investigative Committee of Russia has opened a criminal case regarding the sinking of the passenger ship "Bulgaria" and the death of passengers. Privolzhsky Investigation Department for Transport of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (11.07.11). Archived from the original on August 14, 2012. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
2. The motor ship arrived at the port of Kazan Arabella» with rescued passengers
3. Photos from the Arabella
4. Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a criminal case in connection with the crash " Bulgaria»:: Emergencies:: RosBusinessConsulting
5. The Investigative Committee found the culprits of the Bulgaria disaster, and the media and bloggers found the owner, a United Russia millionaire, Newsru.com, 07/12/2011
6. Kamsko-Ustinsky District Court of Kamskoye Ustye: On December 26, 2011, a verdict was passed in a criminal case charging Yu. V. Tuchin under Art. 270 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
7. A memorial was opened on the banks of the Volga in memory of those killed in the crash of the "Bulgaria"
8. A monument on the water was erected at the site of the Bulgaria crash
9. A children's playground will be built in the Republic of Mari El in memory of the child who died on the ship "Bulgaria"
10. The Commission of the Federal Service for Supervision of Transport completed the investigation into the accident of the diesel-electric ship "Bulgaria", leased from ArgoRechTour LLC (Kazan), which sank on July 10, 2011.
11. At the same time, the Investigative Committee of Russia refutes information about the existing holes in the hull of the motor ship "Bulgaria" ()

Exactly 6 years have passed since the day when news reports from all media outlets were marked “Urgent” or “Special Issue.” On July 10, 2011, the cruise ship "Bulgaria" sank with passengers on board. Only a third of them were able to escape. Terrible, merciless news fell on people that summer day, during the holidays. But it was even more terrible to learn the details of the tragedy, which were revealed during the investigation of the crash.

Unfinished river cruise

Who has at least once spent their holidays in river cruise, he will definitely repeat it. Nowhere can you relax so much in a short period of time as on the water. Alternating between cities and excursions with relaxing time on deck and delicious dinners quickly restores the strength lost over the year. It is no wonder that many, choosing this type of vacation, look forward to it and buy tickets in advance.

The passengers on this flight, like all those traveling by water, were calm and carefree. After an excursion in the city of Bolgar, they rested. They were supposed to return to Kazan only by 10 pm. Someone sat in the hall, because it was raining and strong wind outside, someone lay down to take a nap after lunch, and the children were gathered in the music room for an entertaining event.

At 13:30 Moscow time, the motor ship "Bulgaria", making a left turn, sharply tilted to one side, scooped up sea water with its open portholes and three minutes later sank under the water.

About the ship

Built in the shipyards of Czechoslovakia in 1955 and released under the name "Ukraine", it was operated on the rivers of Russia for 56 years, changing owners, before the disaster. IN last years He had to endure various unpleasant events in his life.

The old, worn-out ship, which required, if not decommissioning, then major repairs, was mercilessly exploited by changing tenants and subtenants. It is clear that no one spared what was “temporarily theirs.” Its last owner, who wanted to squeeze money out of the dying ship, was Kazan-based ArgoRechTur LLC.

In 2007, the ship already tried to sink, “sinking,” as the people who worked on it then softly said about it. But that time the team managed to cope with the situation.

A year later, in early September, the ship ran aground near the river port of Kazan. The landing turned out to be so tight, with the entire hull, that only a pusher tug that came to the rescue from the city port could rescue him.

Experts say that by this time the ship had acquired a bad reputation. Often some mechanisms failed, equipment broke down, staff and crew performed poorly. Demand for his services fell sharply. To cut off the “negative trail”, the ship was given a new name, as if starting its history from scratch.

The reborn motor ship "Bulgaria" remained the same old and poorly suited vessel for tourism. To increase demand for its cruises, the cost of travel packages was reduced to a minimum. Now people began to choose it for 3-day trips along the Volga or Kama.

About the owner

The owner of the ship has seen his ship only on paper for many years. The Kama River Shipping Company preferred to rent out the problematic ship. Tenants replaced one another until it was the turn of the Kazan company ArgoRechTur LLC, headed by Svetlana Inyakina.

Having previously worked in the tourism business, Ms. Inyakina earned the following review from her colleagues: unprofessional. Some tour operators refused to cooperate with her due to financial problems that arose.

Despite the fact that she created new company was not included in the Unified Register of Tour Operators, that is, it did not have the rights to transport people, the director of the tenant company Breeze LLC, Valery Neznakin, subleased the vessel in June 2011 to S. Inyakina. There is no doubt that both directors are aware of the deplorable technical condition of the Bulgaria ship. He couldn't even be insured.

About technical condition

According to the lessee of the ship, V. Neznakin, the ship underwent a technical inspection every year, but was “in an aesthetically old condition.” If only aesthetically... Surviving team members said that breakdowns occurred constantly. The repairmen on the ship did not sit idle.

It also turned out that the rental cost S. Inyakina was 2 times cheaper than the original cost, since she took upon herself the repair of the engine, which was necessary. And besides, there were no others willing to rent this ship...

Based on the results of the investigation, Rostransnadzor published information that since July 8, 2011, the left main generator on the ship has not been working. Throughout the cruise, the repair crew was busy solving this problem. This problem caused the ship to list to starboard by 4 degrees.

About the team

Angry, accusatory words addressed to captain Alexander Ostrovsky because of the death of the motor ship "Bulgaria" were heard most furiously in the first, most emotional days. The grief was so great and unbearable that I wanted to blame everyone and everything. And first of all, the captain.

The man has been driving ships on the river since 1978. First motor ships, then the high-speed Meteor, then again a motor ship. I had to swim along a calm river, through stormy reservoirs, and along the Vetluga, a fast and winding river.

When he switched to Bulgaria, everyone noticed a change in him. He became withdrawn, often irritated due to difficult relations with the tenant, and paid his own money for the repair of the ship and the crew’s salaries. I wanted to retain smart guys with this, but there was a lot of turnover. According to his family, he could not quit because he was a “financial hostage”; he was not paid any money, but was encouraged with promises.

It is unclear why such an experienced person did not give the command to batten down the portholes, which were open due to the stuffiness in the premises. Inexperienced tourists may not have understood the impending danger. But everything was wide open in the service premises as well.

As eyewitnesses say, during the disaster of the motor ship "Bulgaria", he was the only person from the team who tried to change the situation. Remaining at the helm, he steered the ship toward the shoal, but everything happened too quickly. If "Bulgaria" had swam another 40 meters, it would have run aground and, perhaps, the consequences would not have been so terrifying. The captain remained on his ship.

The passengers saved themselves as best they could. The two rafts and circles that opened helped someone. But the crew members were busy saving themselves and their families. Were the life-saving equipment in order and whether the strict captain A. Ostrovsky had impeccable discipline on the ship - questions that are difficult to answer even today.

The sinking of the motor ship "Bulgaria" on the Volga

The return to Kazan was accompanied by bad weather conditions, but initially acceptable for sailing. At 1330 hours, several events coincided that individually would not have harmed the ship. But together they led to a disaster recognized as the largest on the river in modern history.

The ship, located 3 kilometers from the shore of the Kuibyshev Reservoir, was hit by a thunderstorm front with rain and squally winds. Entering a left turn, the ship tilted to the right. The combination of this list with the existing one due to technical problems and amplified by the onboard wind blow caused the ship to list from 4 to 9 degrees. This was enough for water to rush into the open portholes. The ensuing increase in the angle of roll allowed a stream of water to collapse inward, and the ship sank to the bottom in a matter of minutes.

Rescue of drowning people...

There were 201 people on the ship. Only 79 were lucky to escape. The remaining tourists and team members were unable to escape from the premises.

The children, gathered below for an entertaining event, had no chance of rising from there. The parents, who rushed down to save them, remained in the corridors.

Some survivors of the wreck of the motor ship "Bulgaria" talked about how someone was washed overboard, someone was helped to get out by strangers, someone themselves snatched someone from the cabins on the way to salvation. Everything happened too quickly.

Help comes or floats by

It is easy to imagine the horror of people who found themselves in the water with a thunderstorm raging around them. Desperate fear for loved ones, a distant shore, perhaps the inability to swim. Can you imagine that in such a situation someone will not lend you a helping hand? Moreover, there is no threat to the saviors.

Two ships passed by without responding to the screams from the water. The captains of the dry cargo ship "Arbat" and the pusher "Dunaysky 66" decided that dying people were not a reason to stop moving.

Rescue came from the crew of the cruise ship Arabella. They brought people on board, provided assistance, and brought them ashore.

Rescue work

Rescue operations were organized at the place where the motor ship "Bulgaria" sank. For several days, divers retrieved bodies from the bottom dead people. All this time, their relatives and friends remained on the shore. Finally, all the drowned people were found. 122 people remained inside the sinking "Bulgaria", captain Alexander Ostrovsky remained with them.

To lift the ship itself, given its decrepitude and the threat of falling apart when trying to get it out of the water, the “defense specialists” came up with “steel towels”, which were manufactured in the shortest possible time in St. Petersburg.

On July 26, as a result of the technologically complex work of divers and services on board the vessels, the motor ship "Bulgaria" was raised to the surface. Photos from the scene of events were published by all media.

Investigation

• violation of safety rules (malfunction of ship mechanisms, sailing in wind force exceeding the tolerances for such vessels, etc.);
• low qualifications and lack of discipline of crew members (open windows, turning off the left engine without a command, turning the ship without taking into account the existing roll, etc.).

The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation has opened several criminal cases regarding the accident on the Volga of the motor ship "Bulgaria". The following persons were punished:

• Svetlana Inyakina, sublessee of the vessel - 9.5 years.
• Ramil Khametov, senior assistant captain of “Bulgaria” - 6.5 years.
• Yakov Ivashov, expert who issued the permit to operate the ship - 5 years.
• Irek Timergazeev, Vladislav Semenov, specialists who issued an opinion on the readiness of ArgoRechTour LLC to transport passengers - 6 and 5 years, respectively.
• Yuri Tuchin and Alexander Egorov, captains of the ships that passed by, were fined in the amount of 130 and 190 thousand rubles, respectively.

They are remembered

The tragedy of the motor ship "Bulgaria" did not leave anyone indifferent. Our fellow citizens, governments and simple people different countries expressed sympathy to the relatives of the victims. Residents of Kazan, in the first hours after the sinking of the ship, built a spontaneous memorial in the port. Flowers, toys and candles were brought here.

On July 10, 2012, on the bank of the river, opposite the site of the tragedy, a monument was unveiled, combining a wall of memory with 122 names of the dead people, a square with a chapel and a mosque.

A buoy is installed at the site of the ship's sinking, and ships passing by it sound a long horn.

Seven years ago, the passenger ship "Bulgaria" sank. People had about three minutes to get out huge ship, which was rapidly disappearing under the water.

On July 10, 2011, the double-deck passenger motor ship "Bulgaria" was cruising on the route Kazan - Bolgar - Kazan and sank on the way back. Due to overload, unprofessional crew and poor technical condition of the ship, 122 people died, including 28 minors. The disaster became the largest on the Volga in terms of the number of victims in modern Russia.

Many traveled to Bulgaria with families or noisy groups. Those who survived still blame themselves that the others could not be saved, even if it was physically impossible.

She was pregnant

Evgeniy and got married on June 25, 2011, and a couple of weeks later they went on a trip. The young people knew that Leysan was 15 weeks pregnant and were choosing a name for the unborn child. The girl knew that a son would be born, but she didn’t dare say it yet - she still wanted to make it a surprise.

The young people dated for exactly a year and lived together for six months. They loved each other so much that those around them said that they were like brother and sister - similar in appearance and character. They even had the same middle names - Aidarovich and Aydarovna.

There wasn’t much money; Zhenya only recently got a job to provide for his family. We decided that we would take a short cruise on a motor ship - we should please ourselves. Yes, and we went with friends.

On the morning of July 9, Zhenya and Leysan flew headlong to river port: We were sure that the ship would leave the pier at 9:00. Already on the spot we remembered that there were still 12 hours before departure - “Bulgaria” started from Kazan in the evening. Well, what can we do? I had to go back. Turning back before the road is considered a bad omen, but who thinks about this at 20 years old?

And here it is - evening. A number of ships lined up at the pier. They all stood proudly, straight and amazed with some article or something. "Bulgaria" perched at a distance from them. She seemed to be luring people in, leaning “friendly” to the right. All the passengers noticed the tilt, although no one paid any attention to it: well, it’s unpleasant, but not critical?!

We barely reached the Bolgars. The passengers did not particularly complain: many of them were children who had little idea of ​​what a ship should look like. The others thought it was just an "inconvenience" and continued to have fun. The rain and storm, of course, were annoying, but what can you do, it happens. In the end, no one was waiting for a VIP ship for a thousand, well, a maximum of 3.5 thousand rubles paid for the trip.

On the morning of July 10, everyone was dropped off in Bolgari and sent on an excursion. The tourists were damn tired - it was stuffy, there was a lot of walking, and many of them had a pretty fun evening. Therefore, upon returning on board, many simply collapsed to rest.

Evgeniy was no exception, and Leysan went for a walk on the deck. She was one of the first to see the ship fall on its side and fill with water. The girl rushed into the cabin and woke up her sleeping husband. The newlyweds grabbed hands and ran upstairs. We ran along the corridor in knee-deep water, getting to the door leading to salvation, when suddenly the ship rocked and water flooded everything around.

Leysan suddenly disappeared in the stream, she simply slipped out of my hands. “I couldn’t hold her back,” Evgeniy told Life.

The young man immediately rushed after his wife: he began diving in the pitch darkness in search of his wife. I came across some furniture, someone’s things, and then suddenly... a person. He grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and pulled him out - a child, about seven years old. Pushed to the exit. Once again - maybe now Leysan?! But the pensioner looked at Zhenya. Tereshin saved two lives. But his relatives - his wife and unborn son - remained at the bottom of the Volga.

The guy himself was blown out of an underwater grave by an airlock. A few minutes later, the passengers were picked up by the Arabella. When they got off it, both his and his wife’s relatives were already standing on the shore. The young man was taken to the hospital. Two weeks on IVs, working with a psychologist from Moscow, incessant nightmares in my sleep. The latter, however, have seen each other for more than one year.

The wife was buried in her mother’s homeland in the village of Apastovo. Zhenya couldn’t imagine what to do. Commit suicide? Go and destroy to hell the office of the travel agency that sold the trips, knowing that the ship could sink? Both his parents and his wives protected him all the time.

Once Leysan dreamed of her mother and instructed her: “Keep an eye on him there, take care of him,” Evgeniy recalled.

He said more than once that, if only he had time, he would try to tell Leysan how much he loved her as many times as possible.

Be late. Just be late

By the age of twenty-three, the girl graduated from the Kazan Cooperative Institute, worked in stores, in production, and managed to sew and knit for herself and others. She loved to swim. So a boat trip along her beloved Volga seemed like a wonderful vacation option for her.

Be late, well, be late." The girl arrived at River Station a few minutes before departure.

The ship somehow did not inspire confidence, but the guys, joking about the Titanic, moved on board. They tried not to pay attention to the fact that the ship was tilting: well, it’s true, what can you do here, it happens.

In Bolgar, the young people fell behind on the excursion and risked missing the boat, but they paid the taxi driver double the rate so as not to be late.

The girls were walking along the decks when they saw the ship begin to tilt too much. They rushed to the cabins, making their way through the streams of water gushing from the doors. The whole company rushed to the exit.

Albina grabbed the ladder, while holding her sister’s hand. Suddenly a powerful stream of water gushed out, causing the hands to come apart. A short cry that soon disappeared under the water.

Albina couldn’t even rush after her sister - she didn’t know how to swim. Ruslan looked for his beloved, but to no avail. Aigul never made it out. Albina and Ruslan managed to escape. Ruslan couldn’t speak for a long time afterwards, he just looked at the water, hoping that by some miracle his bride would be brought to shore alive.

Nothing is known about how and what Albina lives now. However, there is also little about Ruslan. Judging by his page on one of the social networks, in 2012 he began dating a girl and got married in 2014. And he's just trying to move on with his life.

Only one survived

Sirine Sharapova with her 11-year-old daughter Kamila and her husband Niyaz went on a short trip on the Bulgaria along with 37 other families of employees of the plant supplying construction materials to the Universiade. So the company decided to reward people who work hard before a sporting event.

The Sharapovs just had their vacation in Crimea canceled because Sirine simply didn’t have time to finish everything. Therefore, we decided to take a ride on the “Bulgaria” - at least something. In general, the 46-year-old mother of the family always thought of committing long journey on water. The whole family swam well.

Even if something happens, we will swim out,” she said confidently.

After 13 years together, Niyaz got used to his wife being always active. By boat, car, train - whatever. She just didn’t like to fly: she was afraid of crashing.

Life with her was never gray. Of course, it wasn’t without difficulties; they didn’t bring us anything on a silver platter. But Sirine was wise. The two of us could always sit down and discuss and decide everything, Niyaz later told Arguments and Facts.

He was involved in business, and it turned out that he could often leave work to pick up his daughter from dances or school. It was even possible to walk for a couple of hours and talk confidentially.

We walked and talked about everything in the world. She studied well. I finished the year with one B. “I danced and played the piano,” the man recalls.

The woman’s daughter from her first marriage, Guzel, later told how Kamila was called “the future president” in the family - the girl was extremely responsible. I did my homework or learned the next melody myself, without reminders. But this time I couldn’t take her anywhere on vacation or encourage her in any way. And then the wife calls and joyfully reports that they are going on a boat for the day to Bolgar.

Well, at least my daughter will get divorced, Niyaz thought then.

And my wife needed rest: Lately I constantly dreamed about deceased relatives. I could wake up several times during the night. The family thought it was because of nerves: I was very worried about work, I wanted everything to be done on time.

The thoughts that haunted the Sharapovs on the way to Bolgar: not a ship, but a complete disappointment, the food was meager, the atmosphere was very simple, the ship was tilting all the time. Okay, next time we can go on a normal one...

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Almaz Khairetdinov from Arsk was left without parents at the age of four due to the tragedy on the Volga. Only a year later did the family decide to tell the boy that Raila’s mother and Ainur’s father would never return.

Sleep well, mommy and daddy,” said the child, leaving the grave.

28-year-old Ainur and Raila, who is a year younger than him, went on vacation on the Bulgaria. They were invited on a two-day trip by Ainura’s sister Ilmira and her husband Albert Agliev. At first, the men thought of abandoning the idea altogether: there were no cabins with showers. But then, under the persuasion of their wives, they agreed.

They don’t remember anything special about the beginning of the trip: they didn’t pay much attention to the roll, and in the evening, like many others, they had dinner and danced. In the morning we walked around Bolgar. And upon returning we decided to stay in the cabin of our brother and his wife. The couple was already thinking about going home when they heard: “Everyone on the left side!”

The Aglievs rushed to their cabin, which is next door, behind rescue equipment. Then we rushed upstairs. Raila and Ainur were not in the corridor - they were probably already upstairs, the couple decided.

For some reason, the flow of water came from below - like a fountain. We jumped out onto the deck and swam. If it weren’t for my husband, I would not have emerged from the capsized ship,” admitted Ilmira, who could not swim well.

They escaped that disaster. But Almaz’s parents remained at the bottom of the Volga.

Raila's mother screamed in my face: “Why did you swim out, why did you come back if you didn’t save your brother?!” - Ilmira told MK later.

The common tragedy did not unite the family. The boy’s grandmothers, even at the wake, began to find out who would be the child’s guardian. He grew up with his father's relatives, but his maternal grandmother was not going to give up her grandson. It was impossible to somehow agree that he would be with both.

The court ultimately ruled in favor of the father's relatives. The boy still lives with them. And his aunt posts pictures on social networks - here are relatives gathered at a large table, here is Almaz during a performance of a group, apparently in folk dancing, here is a boy training.

All the children who were left orphans after the crash of the Bulgaria were taken under temporary guardianship: in eight cases they were taken by grandmothers, in one by an aunt.

The owner of the ship was the Kama River Shipping Company, and it was rented (chartered) by Agrorechtur, headed by Svetlana Inyakina. As the surviving crew members later claimed, it was Agrorechtur that gave the captain the order to release the ship from Bolgar, despite his fears. Otherwise, he could pay with his work and wallet. In July 2014, the head of the company received 9.5 years in prison for providing services that did not meet safety requirements.

In September 2015, the media reported that Inyakina was granted an amnesty in honor of the 70th anniversary of the Victory, and her sentence was reduced by a third. Relatives of the crash victims called it a spit in the soul. In an interview back in 2012, she admitted that she wanted to continue working river boats. How will he be released?

The ship's chief mate, Ramil Khametov, was sentenced to 6.6 years in prison, but in 2015 the term was reduced to 4.7 years.

Gosmorrechnadzor officials Irek Timergazeev and Vladislav Semyonov were released in February of this year. Each of them was sentenced to more than five years in prison, but later the time spent in pre-trial detention was credited.